Ironwood

Ironwood is an asymmetrical duel between two forces of nature. Sharp metal will face burning wood, and all will be completed within an hour. I invite you to my review of this clash, which surprisingly starts with just one player.

Card drive

The main driving force behind Ironwood is the cards. It’s through them that we will perform all the actions in this game. Each faction will have its own deck, which contains completely different mechanics. However, the available actions are quite similar to each other. Because they will allow us to strategically move our troops around the map, fulfil our objectives and attack each other.

The cards will be played alternately. Which will allow us to respond to our opponent’s plans. This is another key aspect of this game. It will take us some gameplays to master what the other side can do. However, once we know our opponents’ capabilities we will know what to do to hinder them.

Wood vs Metal

The asymmetry is strongly felt in Ironwood. More so than car air freshener tree in your car. Because each faction has different objectives, has its own mechanics and even moves on different terrain.

Ironclad loves anything metal. They also like to drill on the same topic all the time with their drill. In fact, it’s their trademark and main mechanic for getting crystals. Because with them they can build the 3 forges needed to vicotry. This is a very heavily militarised faction that floods the map with their soldiers. They also have more cards that provide a passive effect for several rounds.

The Woodwalkers are the complete opposite of the Ironclads. Instead of massive attacks, they like to sneak attack. Their warfare is based on strategically deploying troops and striking with small squads. This is all because their goal is to discover the 3 totems from the vision cards and deliver them to the outer edges of the map.

Overall I enjoyed playing both factions. Each has something interesting to offer with their mechanics and style of play. However, if I had to choose one it would fall to the tree walkers. Their style of play is all about cleverly playing cards at the right time. Additionally, they have a cool card burning mechanic that will allow us to get something from the ashes of a burned card. By the way, I prefer a bit of this kind of uphill warfare and strategic retreat. It’s also the kind of faction that is heavily goal-oriented. Because playing as Ironclad I have to execute my plans and still have to control the woodsmen. If you notice them starting to gather in one place then they are probably just waiting to discover the totem and make a quick delivery. Although they may also be bluffing with it and that is another plus for the wood walkers.

Axes vs Flags

There’s been a lot about factions then it’s time for a battle. It’s simple, elegant and very Kemet-like. In combat each side plays 1 face down card from their hand. Once revealed we will first compare axes, which will be the damage our opponents receive. If we have any shields then we will protect our units. At the very end if both factions still have soldiers in the conflict then we will compete for dominance. That is, who will have more flags and units. The loser will have to retreat to the place chosen by the winner.

This is why I like the Ironwood combat so much. Because it offers 2 different ways to solve problematic situations. For either you roll up on axes to get rid of your opponent’s units or you try to chase them out of an area. Each solution is good, but it also mostly depends on how many units you have left and how quickly you are able to rebuild. Although this is not as easy as it sounds.

Thematic components

As soon as you open the box you can see that this is a heavily themed game. Because Woodwalkers have all their components in wood and the Ironclads in metal. On top of this, each faction has its own insert where everything will lie in aesthetic order. Additional excitement is provided by the great illustrations, which add even more to the atmosphere of this game. In terms of components and quality I was simply spoiled.

Two automas one opponent

In addition to the typical duel with a live player, we can also clash with automa 1 of 2 two factions. I was a little afraid of how this would work. However, I can say that it is well resolved. Because you can feel that the automa wants to get us and quite cleverly interferes with our plans. Although its handling will take some getting used to. Maybe not by some difficult actions. Just by this resolving of draws with which troops to move or attack with. I know we use a dice roll for this, but it’s not that obvious at all. It’s just a pity that the hint for solo mode doesn’t explain everything and there will be fairly regular paging through the instructions.

Summary

Ironwood is first and foremost a fierce PvP duel with a strongly felt asymmetry. The two different factions and the way they are handled feels like the kind of Root that finally works well for two players. Although, as such games go, there’s always going to be someone who has a harder task to complete and will have to keep an eye on these Woodwalkers. However, through this I feel that each side of the conflict has something different to offer.

What I really like about Ironwood is the card-playing system, which forces us to strategically plan our moves and respond to our opponent’s actions. Additionally, we get heavily themed components and combat that allows us to solve problematic situations in two different ways.

Final verdict: A seemingly wooden game, but you can feel the sharp metal jam here

Pros

• Quick gameplay and setup
• Strong asymmetry
• Climatic factions
• Planning several moves ahead
• Components and inserts like a dream
• A solo that kicks,

Cons

• but requires quite a bit of familiarity

[Game provided by Mindclash Games]